


Dreamt of Heroics

by pi314159geek



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Belle is a badass, Belle is not an idiot in this AU, Emma has magic idk I didn't watch all of S3b but am still writing AUs for some reason, Emma is snarky, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Henry is useless, Hurt/Comfort, Regina is snarky, S3 AU, sort of a fix-it but not for S6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-01 05:50:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20253181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pi314159geek/pseuds/pi314159geek
Summary: Season 3B AU where Belle comes up with an actual decent plan to free Rumplestiltskin from Zelena's control.





	1. Best-Laid Plans

**Author's Note:**

> In the entire history of OUAT, Belle has never been a fighter. Unlike warrior-ified princesses like Snow White, the bookworm sticks to the sidelines and…I don't know, sometimes does stupid things, like standing (completely unarmed) in Zelena and Rumple's path, when it's already been demonstrated that Rumple can't disobey the darned dagger regardless of True Love. Seriously, girl.
> 
> But one strength of Belle's that I always thought was overlooked was her perceptiveness, her ability to psychoanalyze a person. That trait is what helped her see through Rumple's "evil murderous monstrous Dark One" mask back in the Enchanted Forest, making it a pretty critical part of her personality. That's what I'm trying to bring out here.
> 
> This is only my second fanfic ever, and my first multi-chapter fic at that, so any feedback is much appreciated!

"She has to have a weakness," Belle said, slamming the cover of a dusty red-and-gold tome. The sound reverberated through the glass display case that formed the counter of Gold's pawnshop.

Henry sneezed at the dust emanating off the old book.

"She doesn't have a weakness," Regina said flatly. "She doesn't love anyone, I'd be shocked if she even got to the level of _caring about_ someone. She's too powerful. You know, there's a letter…that Rumplestiltskin wrote back in the Enchanted Forest" — Belle looked up at the sound of her true love's name — "to Cora, who, you know, is Zelena's mother as well as mine. He said that my mother's firstborn child was the most powerful sorceress he'd ever met."

"Zelena," Belle realized.

"Mmm-hmm," Regina said.

"Are you sure that isn't outdated? Did Rumple maybe train Zelena before he met you?" Emma asked.

"No, he's definitely talking about Zelena," Regina conceded grudgingly. She joined Belle behind the counter of the pawnshop.

Emma wasn't sure if the wide berth that Regina gave Belle was out of respect or wariness for her former prisoner.

Regina flipped aimlessly through some randomly-chosen books. "Nothing in here about anything useful…summoning the Dark One's dagger, perhaps? Countering his magic?"

"Have you tried saying his name three times? In my storybook, that's how a lot of people made the Dark One appear to them," Henry piped up.

"Yeah." Belle looked miserable, and a guilty look spread across Henry's face.

"Sorry," he said. "I care about him too, you know. He's my grandpa."

Belle nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement, but continued to stare resolutely at the floor.

"She, uh, must have commanded him to ignore that kind of summoning. But there's no way we can beat her if she controls him," Emma hastened onward, eager to break the awkward silence for Henry's sake. Regina shot her a grateful look.

"Look…Zelena's insecure, isn't she? I don't know much about her past," Belle volunteered. "But from the way she talked in the diner, about your mother abandoning her, she, uh, seems mildly insane with jealousy."

"Well, since you can't defeat her with power alone, we're trying something else for a change!" Belle shot back.

"Regina. Belle," Emma raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Okay. Belle, what were you saying?"

"I'm saying that…didn't Rumple always say that magic is linked to emotion?"

Regina cut in. "The one person here who has no magic is trying to --"

"Just answer the question, please."

"…Yes," Regina snapped. "And this is helpful because?"

"Because if Zelena's emotions are out of control, that means her magic might be out of control as well. And therefore…weaker?"

"Well, that depends on the emotion," Emma said, finally seeing the point. "If you really push her to the brink, she might lash out, and then you'll have just given her the motivation she needs to destroy you."

"Oh."

There was a pause.

"Look, Belle, we appreciate the help, but I think you're grasping at straws now," Regina said. "I understand how you feel about Rumple, but --"

"That's it!" Belle realized.

"No, you had a decent idea before, with magic, and maybe if Emma and I combine our powers --"

"No," Belle interrupted, turning to Emma. "Okay. I have a plan."


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, if my dear sister the Evil Queen doesn't show up in five minutes, why don't I let the Dark One off his leash?" Zelena gloated, striding through the crowd of Storybrooke citizens.

Belle had eyes only for Rumple. The once-proud, flamboyant magician shuffled along beside Zelena: his hair a mess, his filthy clothes in disarray, and his head bowed. She guessed that was another sick way for Zelena to torment him, parading him as her pet and slave in front of the town.

Next to her, Red squeezed her hand gently. Whether that was meant to comfort her or just to stop her from attacking Zelena, Belle wasn't sure, but she was grateful for the gesture all the same.

Zelena was still talking, and at this point Belle was thoroughly sick of hearing the witch's voice. "No one cares to challenge me? Really? A city chock-full of fairy tale heroes? Surely you can do better."

Emma Swan stepped out of the crowd across the town square. Pink and white light accumulated in the palms of her hands, but before she could do anything, Zelena twitched the Dark One's dagger. Rumple's magic sent Emma flying backward to land hard on the concrete.

Charming immediately drew his sword and moved to defend his daughter, but again Zelena gestured with the kris blade. The prince's sword flew from his hand and did a 180, hovering in front of him so that he was at risk of being gutted with his own weapon.

Zelena laughed in her assured victory. She was just gloating now, and verbalizing her commands to Rumplestiltskin was one of her favorite ways of showing off. "Dark One, I command you to —"

"Enough." It felt like another person had spoken those words, but Belle removed the hood of her green cloak and left the safety of the crowd. Ignoring Red, Leroy, and the other dwarves' protests, she gripped the hilt of Charming's floating sword. To her relief, the hovering spell dissipated at her touch.

Sweeping her cloak out of her way, Belle turned once again to face Zelena, holding Charming's sword in a defensive stance that might have been a passable imitation of Mulan's. She positioned herself in front of the prince, who was helping his daughter to her feet.

"Back at this again, are we?" Zelena smirked. "Belle, don't —" Rumple started, but fell silent with a wince of pain as Zelena gestured with the dagger. "Haven't we established that this," Zelena brandished it for the crowd to see, "is more powerful than your" — her lips curled — "true love?"

Belle just stood there, looking cautiously between Zelena and Rumple. "Didn't you once say that your Rumple would never hurt you?" Zelena asked in a sarcastically high-pitched tone. "Well, Dark One?"

She pointed the dagger at Belle — Rumple's left hand moved, though he was clearly fighting the motion with everything he had — and pain shot across Belle's face. She reflexively jerked her head to the right. His magic had sliced open her left cheek from temple to chin.

For Rumple's sake, Belle managed to reduce her reaction to a quiet gasp of pain, but he still looked utterly anguished. Belle silently cursed herself for removing the hood of her cloak. But then, how was she supposed to swing a sword with her vision obscured by a hood?

"Not so pretty now, are you, _Beauty_?" Zelena mocked. Rumple flinched.

Belle spat blood out of her mouth, genuinely angry now. "Says the woman with green skin!"

Zelena's profile darkened.

"You know, you may be powerful, but your sister is still braver than you are." Belle's anger seemed to be fueling her calmness in the face of danger.

Zelena scoffed and made an exaggerated performance of scanning the crowd gathered in the town square.

"Well, I gave her an exact time and place for our duel. Still don't see her anywhere, do you?"

"No, but I don't see her hiding behind her 300-year-old teacher, either."

That hit home. The Wicked Witch's gloating smile melted partially, and she fixed her gaze on Belle. "Fine. Perhaps if I'd commanded your boyfriend to kill you, he'd at least make it quick. But alas, you leave me no choice."

Green-tinted smoke rose from the ground at Zelena's feet, forming a fireball which she hurled at Belle.

She was vaguely aware of Red, the Charmings', and Leroy's shouts of alarm as she stood motionless. She knew she should be absolutely terrified, but somehow, she remained calm as she watched the green flame hurtle towards her.

The fireball hit Belle's cloak and promptly fizzled out. Once the smoke had cleared, everyone could see that there was no damage done to either the fabric or to Belle herself.

A murmur passed through the crowd, and Rumplestiltskin's eyes darted about. Belle could practically hear the gears in his mind whirring, trying to figure out what was happening.

For the sake of appearances, Belle knew she shouldn't sigh in relief, but she was very tempted. They hadn't exactly been able to stress-test her magical defenses under realistic conditions.

"Impossible," Zelena spat, and tried again, this time using a glowing, raw energy blast instead of fire. Again Belle's cloak appeared to absorb the magic.

"This is ridiculous!" Zelena snarled, her humiliation only making her angrier. "That's True Love magic, isn't it, that's protecting you? 'No magic more powerful than True Love,' and all that. But I doubt it'll protect you from your _own_ true love. Dark One, I command you to kill her."

Rumple's hopeful expression at Belle's temporary success crumbled into utter defeat. "No," he muttered, pleading with Zelena. "Please, don't —"

"As much as I'd enjoy listening to you beg, I really don't have time for this. Just kill her."

Visibly shaking with the effort of resisting the command, the Dark One reached out a hand and shot dark magic at Belle. The magic glanced off her cloak and hit the pavement instead, leaving a smoldering crater about five feet across.

"I can't," Rumple said slowly, looking up at Zelena with something akin to triumph in his voice.

Belle paused a moment to let that sink in before brandishing Prince Charming's sword. "I may not know magic myself, but your sister and the Savior together can do some powerful defensive magic. _Your_ magic will be useless against it. So is the Dark One's. If you want to kill me, Zelena, you're going to have to get your hands messy." She tilted her head. "Literally and figuratively."

She could practically hear the crowd thinking that she had zero experience with swordfighting. _And they would be right_, she thought to herself. She immediately started having second thoughts about her and Emma and Regina's "plan," but now was a really bad time to start on that train of thought.

Judging from the triumphant look on her face, Zelena knew it too. "Do you have a death wish?" she sneered at the girl.

"Stop delaying," Belle said, trying to keep her voice from quavering. This was the critical part of the plan, and she didn't even know if she was capable of carrying it out.

Looking extremely annoyed, Zelena sheathed the Dark One's dagger, taking great care to secure it inside her cloak with multiple fastenings. She held out her hand, clearly intending to summon a sword.

Nothing happened.

Zelena scowled. She opened and closed her fist a few times, trying to make a weapon appear, until...

"Fine," the witch huffed, unsheathing the Dark One's dagger again, and Belle breathed a sigh of relief. "Enjoy the graveyard humor of me stabbing you with a blade that has your boyfriend's name literally written on it."

Zelena could have used the dagger to make Rumple summon a weapon for her instead, but Belle decided against mentioning that.

She brought Prince Charming's sword up and held it in the guard position, consciously imitating Mulan fighting the Yaoguai. She and Zelena began to circle each other, and Rumple - on Zelena's command, presumably - moved out of the way, across the town square.

The first few exchanges were fast-paced. Belle might have the longer weapon, but Zelena swung and parried so fast that she could barely keep up.

She recalled some of her reading on swordplay — when your opponent had the longer blade, you were supposed to get in close, so that their weapon's extra length wouldn't help them. With that in mind, she retreated a few steps from Zelena, using her sword to keep the witch at a safe distance.

Zelena rushed in to attack Belle's undefended left side. Belle quickly switched her sword from her right hand to her left, and managed a clumsy but powerful swing that sent Zelena scurrying back in retreat.

"You can't keep this up forever, bookworm," Zelena jeered. "Swordplay isn't something you can learn from books."

This time she targeted Belle's right shoulder. In response, Belle imitated some of Zelena's opening moves with the dagger, using a sequence of three rapid strokes to deflect her opponent's weapon to the right. Again she retreated a step.

This swordfight wasn't like any she'd read about in her books. Those duels were supposed to be fast-paced, a constant exchange of blows until the hero, nearly outmatched, located a conveniently-placed object to help them to victory. Belle had no such plans.

On the third attack, Zelena feinted upward towards Belle's face, and she reflexively brought her sword up to block the cut. Instead, Zelena lunged at Belle's chest, driving the dagger through just below her collarbone.

This time, Rumple's reaction had nothing to do with it — Belle couldn’t manage anything louder than a feeble gasp of pain as the Wicked Witch twisted the dagger into her chest.

_Well, that wasn't in the plan_, she thought to herself, ludicrously calm.

Seeing stars from the pain, Belle dropped to her knees, only vaguely aware of the warm blood soaking the front of her cloak and dripping onto the ground. _Get the dagger_, she thought to herself like a mantra.

Clusmily, she grabbed at the part of the blade that wasn't currently buried in her chest.

"No!" Zelena yelled, immediately realizing her plan. The witch tightened her grip on the hilt and started to twist the blade again to force Belle to let go, but Belle slashed out at random with Charming's sword, which by some miracle, she still held in her left hand. With a howl of pain, Zelena stumbled backward, releasing the hilt of the dagger. The sword clattered to the pavement.

Belle exhaled sharply, her right hand still feebly wrapped around the sharp edge of the blade. _Do I have to actually be holding the hilt for this to work?_ she wondered dazedly. She gripped the handle of the blade instead, as though intending to pull it out of herself, but she was pretty sure that was a bad idea.

She opened her mouth to gasp out a command to Rumplestiltskin, but before she could say a word, she was engulfed in red smoke, darkness above her, lying on top of wooden floorboards instead of concrete. Then a fire was lit off to her left, she vaguely registered the presence of trees outside the cabin window, and Rumple was there, kneeling over her, carefully easing her cloak off her shoulders to inspect her wounds.

He looked absolutely stricken. Belle couldn't blame him. She was sure she looked horrible, with blood soaking her cloak and the magic-inflicted cut marring half her face.

Rumple moved his hands quickly but gently over her face and chest, healing the wounds from both his own magic and the Dark One's dagger.

"Belle," he murmured finally. "Belle, you…"

"Were an idiot, I know. Believe me, I didn't —" She stopped talking when Rumple laid a finger on her mouth to shush her. _Well, he doesn't _look_ angry_, she thought stupidly to herself. She fell silent and focused on Rumple's agile hands moving above her stab wound. It looked as though he was weaving something in the air. _Magic_, she thought, and suddenly the pain was gone and the wound below her collarbone had closed.

"There'll be a scar," he murmured as she cautiously sat up, testing her strength. "The dagger…it's enchanted with ancient magic, and even I can't heal it completely. I'm sorry —"

Belle interrupted him by pressing her lips to his, cradling his face. A moment later, she felt Rumplestiltskin pull her close, hugging her so tightly that she had trouble breathing.

She managed a noise that was half-gasp and half-laughter, prompting Rumple to break off the kiss. He buried his face in her neck instead.

"You almost died," he murmured into her hair. "You almost died, to save me."

"But it worked," she said simply, pulling back to look at him. "It was worth it. _You_ were more than worth it."

He gazed into her eyes and seemed to struggle with his words for a moment.

"I don't deserve you, Belle." The words came out in a rush as he pulled her into an embrace again.

"Stop that," she said, lightly swatting his shoulder before hugging him back.

For a long moment, neither of them said anything.

Belle was tempted to suggest that they go check on the band of heroes when a huge plume of purple smoke appeared in the cabin. Regina, Snow, Emma, Henry, and Charming stepped out of it.

"Belle! Are you —" Emma stumbled into the middle of the room and looked around, slightly disoriented. Her gaze fell on Belle. "Oh. Oh my gods. Okay. You're okay. He healed you. Good. That's — very good. ...Gods, I was worried. Look, I know the plan was to get the dagger, but the original plan also didn't involve that witch _stabbing_ you!"

"Rumple! Are you alright?" Regina looked like she wanted to run towards her former teacher, but noticed Belle kneeling on the floor beside him and decided against it. "Don't worry, Zelena flew off," the former Evil Queen explained. "Literally. When you two teleported away, she tried to track you. Given that this cabin is technically not in the town, I don't know that she _could_ have found you, but I didn't want to take chances. So I fought her…and, turns out she was after my heart the whole time. Which I tore out before the fight," she clarified quickly, at Rumple's concerned glance. "I don't know why she wants it when she could've just killed me outright, but," she flopped into a nearby armchair, "she failed. It's bought us some time."

"Grandpa, are you alright?" Henry asked.

Rumple looked touched by the boy's - his grandson's - concern. "Yes," he answered softly. "Or, I will be."

"That's good," Henry said, with all the innocent confidence of a twelve-year-old.

"Ah... Sorry for taking your sword," Belle addressed Prince Charming.

"Not a problem." The prince adjusted his sword, back in its scabbard at his side. "Better pointed at Zelena than at me. And where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Reading," Belle answered reflexively. She met Snow and Emma's identical skeptical glances. "Well, okay, and I also traveled with Mulan for a while. Before…" Her eyes darted to Regina, almost guiltily. "Well…_before_. Every night when we made camp, she would practice with her sword, and I watched how she trained. Clearly that, uh, didn't help as much as I hoped," she said, putting a hand over her chest where she'd been stabbed.

"Good thing Zelena missed your heart," Snow commented. "But wait, Emma said you two had a plan… Did you plan for Zelena to stab you with that dagger?" Snow put on a motherly, stern look, which Belle found unfamiliar but oddly _right_. "Magic cloak or not, you did not walk into that fight with the _intention_ of —"

"No! No, of course not," Belle reassured her. "Uh, well…I suppose… It was the backup plan?" She looked at Emma, who just shrugged helplessly.

The Savior was the first to chuckle, then Henry joined in, and soon they were all laughing together.

"Well, I'd say our survival is an achievement in and of itself." Regina magicked a bottle of wine and five glasses, which moved to hover in front of Charming, Snow, Rumple, Belle, and herself. "Drinks all around! And soda for Henry, I guess."

Amidst the victory celebrations, Belle knelt to pick up her bloodstained green cloak, withdrawing the dagger from its folds. She turned to the dagger's rightful owner — who was actually sort of smiling as he set down his wineglass — and pressed the blade into his hands.

"No one will ever control you like that again," she murmured, looking intently into his eyes. "You're a free man...Rumplestiltskin."

Heedless of the Charmings' presence, he pulled her into a long, perfect kiss that tasted of wine and something that was distinctly Rumple.


	3. Reparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started out thinking this would be three chapters, but while scrolling through my OneNote history, I found this ancient drabble. I decided to expand it into a mini-chapter update, while I wait for inspiration to strike for an actual ending.
> 
> Again, any comments are much appreciated. My fanfic writing tends to be disjointed (especially with dialogue), and I don't know how much that affects the reading experience...or anything...please leave constructive criticism and such.

After a quick stop home to drop off Henry, Regina had teleported herself and the Savior to the town square, the mayor and sheriff both wanting to repair the damage left by Zelena. ("I would make Zelena pay for the damages to public works projects, but I'll save that for after we've captured her," Regina quipped. That had prompted Belle to launch into an elaborate analysis of Oz's currency types, conversion rates, and economic implications of the Emerald City housing most of the land's wealth).

Rumplestiltskin, uncharacteristically, had volunteered to help them, probably feeling responsible for the Wicked Witch's terrorism. ("Well, I _do_ own most of this town," he grumbled when Emma questioned his motives).

"You know, everyone is saying Belle's a hero," Emma commented, as she stepped out of Regina's plume of purple transportation smoke. "They admire her so much, for standing up to the Wicked Witch to protect her True Love."

If Emma hadn't been looking for it, she would have missed it, but Mr. Gold's features softened the tiniest bit. "Yes," he said simply. "She is."

Emma's eyes darted around, and if Rumplestiltskin hadn't known the sheriff better, he might have said she looked nervous. "Will you two be okay after — after what Zelena did to you?"

"Just what are you implying, Miss Swan?" Rumplestiltskin demanded, his professional composure as the Deal-Maker immediately sliding back into place.

Maybe Emma should have been intimidated, but the celebratory alcohol, her talks with Belle about Rumple's hidden humanity, and the fact that she'd seen Gold at his weakest mortal moments stopped her from backing down. "You wrote letters to their mother, Cora, about your...uh, relationship with Zelena before, and how you chose Regina over her... And Regina told us the kind of person she is. She wouldn't be above forcing you. Especially, well, with the dagger."

Rumplestiltskin had never felt the weight of the kris blade more heavily. It rested in the inside pocket of Belle's green cloak, currenntly draped over his shoulder. "What Zelena did to me is my concern, Miss Swan, not yours."

"And Belle's? You'll at least talk to her about it, even if you won't tell us?"

"Why do you suddenly care so much?"

"You're family," Emma said simply, and their eyes met. They both knew that they were thinking of Baelfire.

The Dark One's anger melted away and he became simply Mr. Gold, an old man with a limp who'd been abused for the past year, lost his son, and desperately needed time to recover and heal, if that was even a possibility.

Emma nodded slightly. Her hand drifted to her neck to briefly touch the swan pendant there. Then she cleared her throat and raised both hands, preparing to do magic. "Well, this town square isn't gonna repair itself."

Throughout the entire magical bricklaying process, Regina kept shooting sidelong glances at her former teacher. Finally, Swan took the hint and loudly announced that she was headed to the clock tower to clean up the broken glass.

"It's not your fault, you know," Regina said finally, as soon as Emma was out of hearing range.

Rumple stared stonily ahead, pretending to be very focused on the magic required to set various chunks of broken pavement back into place.

"Gold?" Regina prompted tentatively.

"I will kill that despicable green witch," he growled softly.

Regina sighed. "I know she killed your son, but —"

"No, she didn't kill my son, she did worse. She tricked him into sacrificing himself for me, made me stand by and *watch* him die, and then stopped me from saving him!"

"I still don't think —"

"If she made you watch Henry die, how fast would you have burnt her to a crisp as soon as you were free? How fast would you and Miss Swan _both_ have torn her limb from limb?"

"About the speed of light," Regina admitted. "But still…"

Rumple just shook his head, dropped the last piece of pavement into place with a heavy thunk, and strode off, his magic once again disguising his limp.


End file.
